Jax Y3 Chardonnay 2023

Alcohol: 13,2%

Grape(s): Chardonnay

Localization: Napa Valley, California, USA

Tasting Notes: Fermented in a concrete tank and aged in neutral oak, this steely wine is delicately layered in lemon and papaya. It shows very good substance and style on the lengthy finish.

Notes: Y3 Chardonnay grapes come from a single vineyard in Carneros that is influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean allowing for a long growing season. The grapes are fermented in French concrete tanks and aged in barrels 3+ years old. Fermenting Chardonnay in concrete like in Chablis enhances the aromatics of the varietal, increases the mineral characteristics, and allows the flavor of the vineyard to be the star.

The Domain: Brother and sister team, Trent and Kimberly Jackson collaborated with their vintner “green thumb” father to found their first label in 1996. Over time the two identified their unique niche among next-generation wine enthusiasts. Outliers from the dominating shortlist of old-school Napa wineries, the two saw an opportunity to buck the “en vogue” winemaking style of their day to focus on the unique terroir of their family vineyard. After all, “change comes first at a small scale driven by the smaller more nimble producers.”

Soon after, cult Winemaker Kirk Venge was recruited to create balanced wines reflecting the varietal character and a sense of place. Passionate about our vineyard site, integral to our clone and rootstalk selections, and now 15 years in, Kirk has reinforced their instinct that focus should always be on “sense of place” to understand the nuances that allow us to make great wine.

To differentiate from their small lot single vineyard Jax line, they launched “Y3” to scale and offer more “true to varietal” wines from various AVAs (spanning Napa and Sonoma). The “Y3” symbol was the cattle symbol used on their grandparents’ cattle ranch, Yarrayne. The “3” represents three generations of land-tilling entrepreneurs.

In 2013, the siblings recruited a third partner, Dan Parrott, a no-nonsense individual with a laser focus on balanced wines (historically working in Italian import houses) and a true Burgundian aficionado. Dan keeps the sibling rivalry in check and runs Jax like a well-oiled machine.